In reply to Sarah Gooding.

Cracking down doesn’t automatically translate to no path to compliance. For example, a school might start cracking down on students selling candy at recess.

Yes, or the police might start "cracking down" on drug dealers or prostitution in a neighborhood. What imagery does that phrase invoke?

The generally accepted meaning of "crack down" is "to increase the intensity or severity involved in preventing or regulating (or punishing) something", or "to act more forcefully to regulate, repress, or restrain," or, "to take strong action to prevent something bad from happening."

None of those things apply to what the TRT is doing. All of those things evoke imagery that elicits exactly the response seen by your readers who have commented here.

We’re not seeking to be “helpful” or “unhelpful” to any party but rather to make readers aware that a long-standing guideline is now being fully enforced and that the TRT is making reviewers aware of previous oversights.

Wow, see how much more neutral this statement reads? The inclusion of "cracking down" and "aggressively enforcing" add... what, exactly, to the story?

One thing is clear: it added quite a bit of incorrect inference by your readers.

You don't need to be "helpful", but perhaps you could avoid being unnecessarily sensational.