National Public Radio (NPR) got 2016 off to a start by giving listeners a message of solidarity for Muslim refugees and against “hate groups.” NPR’s Hourly News Summary began with a story about German Chancellor Angela Merkel urging Germans to show “solidarity” with the 1 million refugees–mostly from Syria–who have streamed into Germany in the last year alone.

What NPR listeners did not hear was any news about the terrorism threat by Islamic extremists that shut down German train stations last night in Munich just before the new year.

In a clear example of the importance of story selection being the front line of media bias, National Public Radio chose the feel-good piece about Merkel as the opening story, the equivalent of splashing it on the front page in a newspaper above the fold. It is the latest instance of how National Public Radio operates as America’s sotto voce state-run media, pushing a leftist message to its elitist progressive audience.

National Public Radio’s Hourly Newscast plays at the top of the hour on NPR stations across America and is also available in a streaming form to millions of listeners.

NPR led by telling listeners that Merkel urged “Germans to see the largest wave of refugees reported to the country since World War II as an opportunity” but made no mention at all of the concrete terrorist threat that caused Munich police to warn citizens to avoid crowds and to shut down train stations in Germany’s third-largest city.

By contrast, the Munich train shutdown was the lead story on BBC’s hourly newscast for that same early morning hour.

The message to National Public Radio listeners could not have been more obvious: Merkel’s allowing a flood of Muslim refugees into Germany is awesome. By completely memory holing the Munich terrorism story, they kept dedicated NPR listeners from information to make an informed decision about the possible dangers of such a massive influx from an unstable country like Syria.

In the 8 o’clock hour, NPR changed its lead story to the news that “Obama says his New Year’s resolution is tackling unfinished business that includes the push for gun control.” There was still no mention of the Munich terror threat.

Follow Breitbart News investigative reporter and Citizen Journalism School founder Lee Stranahan on Twitter at @Stranahan.