Long-planned layoffs officially hit CNN on Thursday when roughly 6% of the network’s workforce was let go. CNN has painted the layoffs as a critical step toward securing the network’s future, telling staffers that "irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news" have impacted its business model.

CNN is expected to lay off about 200 of its employees, or 6% of its workforce, in part of a shift toward a more digital-oriented future