diff --git a/smithy-diff/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/diff/evaluators/ModifiedTraitTest.java b/smithy-diff/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/diff/evaluators/ModifiedTraitTest.java
index 41fac09053f..5e0aa9f6cf2 100644
--- a/smithy-diff/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/diff/evaluators/ModifiedTraitTest.java
+++ b/smithy-diff/src/test/java/software/amazon/smithy/diff/evaluators/ModifiedTraitTest.java
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.logging.Logger;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
@@ -203,9 +202,7 @@ public void findsDifferencesInListTraitValues() {
                 .assemble()
                 .unwrap();
         List<ValidationEvent> events = TestHelper.findEvents(ModelDiff.compare(modelA, modelB), "ModifiedTrait");
-        List<String> messages = events.stream().map(ValidationEvent::getMessage)
-                .map(message -> message.replaceAll("\r\n", "\n")) // normalize line separators
-                .collect(Collectors.toList());
+        List<String> messages = events.stream().map(ValidationEvent::getMessage).collect(Collectors.toList());
 
         assertThat(events, hasSize(4));
         assertThat(events.stream().filter(e -> e.getMessage().contains("Removed"))
@@ -216,10 +213,14 @@ public void findsDifferencesInListTraitValues() {
                 "Changed trait contents of `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/1` from `b` to `B`",
                 "Added trait contents to `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/3` with value `4`",
                 "Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/2`. Removed value: `3`",
-                "Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo`. Removed value: \n"
-                        + "```\n"
-                        + "[\n    \"1\",\n    \"2\",\n    \"3\"\n]\n"
-                        + "```"
+                String.format("Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo`. Removed value: %n"
+                        + "```%n"
+                        + "[%n"
+                        + "    \"1\",%n"
+                        + "    \"2\",%n"
+                        + "    \"3\"%n"
+                        + "]%n"
+                        + "```%n")
         ));
     }
 
@@ -234,9 +235,7 @@ public void findsDifferencesInSetTraitValues() {
                 .assemble()
                 .unwrap();
         List<ValidationEvent> events = TestHelper.findEvents(ModelDiff.compare(modelA, modelB), "ModifiedTrait");
-        List<String> messages = events.stream().map(ValidationEvent::getMessage)
-                .map(message -> message.replaceAll("\r\n", "\n")) // normalize line separators
-                .collect(Collectors.toList());
+        List<String> messages = events.stream().map(ValidationEvent::getMessage).collect(Collectors.toList());
 
         assertThat(events, hasSize(4));
         assertThat(events.stream().filter(e -> e.getMessage().contains("Removed"))
@@ -247,11 +246,15 @@ public void findsDifferencesInSetTraitValues() {
                 "Changed trait contents of `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/1` from `b` to `B`",
                 "Added trait contents to `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/3` with value `4`",
                 "Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/2`. Removed value: `3`",
-                "Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo`. "
-                        + "Removed value: \n"
-                        + "```\n"
-                        + "[\n    \"1\",\n    \"2\",\n    \"3\"\n]\n"
-                        + "```"
+                String.format("Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo`. "
+                        + "Removed value: %n"
+                        + "```%n"
+                        + "[%n"
+                        + "    \"1\",%n"
+                        + "    \"2\",%n"
+                        + "    \"3\"%n"
+                        + "]%n"
+                        + "```%n")
         ));
     }
 
@@ -266,9 +269,7 @@ public void findsDifferencesInMapTraitValues() {
                 .assemble()
                 .unwrap();
         List<ValidationEvent> events = TestHelper.findEvents(ModelDiff.compare(modelA, modelB), "ModifiedTrait");
-        List<String> messages = events.stream().map(ValidationEvent::getMessage)
-                .map(message -> message.replaceAll("\r\n", "\n")) // normalize line separators
-                .collect(Collectors.toList());
+        List<String> messages = events.stream().map(ValidationEvent::getMessage).collect(Collectors.toList());
 
         assertThat(events, hasSize(4));
         assertThat(events.stream().filter(e -> e.getMessage().contains("Removed"))
@@ -277,11 +278,15 @@ public void findsDifferencesInMapTraitValues() {
                 .filter(e -> e.getSourceLocation().getFilename().endsWith("b.smithy")).count(), equalTo(2L));
         assertThat(messages, containsInAnyOrder(
                 "Changed trait contents of `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/bam` from `b` to `B`",
-                "Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo`. "
-                        + "Removed value: \n"
-                        + "```\n"
-                        + "{\n    \"baz\": \"1\",\n    \"bam\": \"2\",\n    \"boo\": \"3\"\n}\n"
-                        + "```",
+                String.format("Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo`. "
+                        + "Removed value: %n"
+                        + "```%n"
+                        + "{%n"
+                        + "    \"baz\": \"1\",%n"
+                        + "    \"bam\": \"2\",%n"
+                        + "    \"boo\": \"3\"%n"
+                        + "}%n"
+                        + "```%n"),
                 "Added trait contents to `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/qux` with value `4`",
                 "Removed trait contents from `smithy.example#aTrait` at path `/foo/boo`. Removed value: `3`"
         ));
diff --git a/smithy-model/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/model/validation/ValidationUtils.java b/smithy-model/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/model/validation/ValidationUtils.java
index 6b96a0f7955..1f6f5ee8075 100644
--- a/smithy-model/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/model/validation/ValidationUtils.java
+++ b/smithy-model/src/main/java/software/amazon/smithy/model/validation/ValidationUtils.java
@@ -99,9 +99,7 @@ public static String tickedList(Stream<?> values) {
     public static String tickedPrettyPrintedNode(Node node) {
         String prettyPrinted = Node.prettyPrintJson(node);
         if (prettyPrinted.contains(System.lineSeparator()) || prettyPrinted.contains("\n")) {
-            return System.lineSeparator() + "```" + System.lineSeparator()
-                    + prettyPrinted + System.lineSeparator()
-                    + "```";
+            return String.format("%n```%n%s%n```%n", prettyPrinted);
         } else if (prettyPrinted.startsWith("\"") && prettyPrinted.endsWith("\"")) {
             // for pure strings, replace the quotes with backticks
             return "`" + prettyPrinted.substring(1, prettyPrinted.length() - 1) + "`";