CNN accused of media bias against Bernie Sanders after focusing too much on super delegates

Host of online news show ‘The Young Turks’ said counting super delegates in the official tally towards a candidate amounts to ‘journalistic malpractice'

Bernie Sanders has just 46 super delegates versus more than 500 for Ms Clinton (Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders and his supporters have warned the media from announcing that Hillary Clinton has clinched the democratic nomination due to her lead on the number of super delegates before they have even voted at the convention.

“Hillary Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to win the democratic nomination at the end of the nominating process on June 14th,” said Mr Sanders at a rally on the West Coast.

“When I hear media talking about, well, 'we’re going to announce it at 8 o’clock Eastern Standard Time that it’s all over', well, you’re wrong,” he added, referring to the closing of the polls of the New Jersey primary.

Cenk Uygur, host of online news show "The Young Turks", said in an interview with CNN that the media is not portraying the facts and is placing too much emphasis on super delegates ahead of the remaining primaries and the convention.

“I mean CNN and all of the establishment press totally tilted the playing field from day one,” he said.

Pledged delegates are bound by the vote of the people to choose a particular candidate, whereas super delegates are nothing to do with the state primaries.

CNN host Brian Stelter responded that the super delegates are "all establishment" democrats therefore nothing is likely to change their minds and make them vote for Mr Sanders.

Mr Uygur said that it was “journalistic malpractice” to count super delegates in the official tally towards a candidate when super delegates can vote for who they like at the convention, even if they have expressed preference for another candidate beforehand.

If they are not at the convention, their vote does not count.

Hillary Clinton had a lead of around 100 super delegates in 2008, which Mr Uygur said “totally vanished” as they switched to Barack Obama.

In 2016, he said there are “extraordinary circumstances” in which super delegates could change their allegiance, including if Ms Clinton is indicted for the misuse of her personal email account.

“You guys keep assuming she will not be indicted,” said Mr Uygur.

Hillary Clinton needs 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination, which is unlikely to happen in the primary in California on 7 June.

She has 1776 pledged delegates, and 554 super delegates have indicated they will vote for her at the convention in late July.

Bernie Sanders has 1501 pledged delegates and 46 super delegates.