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Short version: there’s no universally agreed “most trustworthy” list, but your safest bets on TikTok are (a) official accounts of established newsrooms and (b) independent fact-checkers and explainer journalists. Here are some to look at, plus how to judge others yourself. 1. Big newsrooms with generally strong standards These accounts are tied to organisations that have long-standing editorial rules, fact-checking processes and corrections policies. None are perfect or totally apolitical, but they’re much more constrained than random influencers. Associated Press – @apnews AP is a wire service used by outlets across the spectrum. They launched an official TikTok account for straight, explanatory news (including U.S. elections) under @APNews. The Associated Press The Washington Post – @washingtonpost The Post’s TikTok was built up by video producer Dave Jorgenson and focuses on news, politics and behind-the-scenes newsroom content for Gen Z. It has well over a million followers and is often held up as a model of how legacy media do TikTok. Wikipedia +1 ProPublica – @propublica Non-profit investigative newsroom known for longform investigations into money, power and government. Their contact page lists an official TikTok account at @propublica. ProPublica NowThis – @nowthisnews / @nowthispolitics Social-first outlet that does short explainer videos and political coverage aimed at younger audiences. They’ve built some of the largest news/politics followings on TikTok, with millions of followers across their channels. shortyawards.com There are also TikTok presences for TV and radio news brands (CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS NewsHour, etc.), but TikTok doesn’t always show a neat “official list”, so the safest move is to check their profile links go back to the real website and not a knock-off. 2. Fact-checking & media literacy accounts When it’s specifically political content, these are arguably the most valuable follows: PolitiFact – @politifact Non-profit fact-checker that rates claims from politicians, pundits and viral posts on its “Truth-O-Meter”. An academic study of verification agencies on TikTok highlights @politifact as one of the main U.S. fact-checking accounts on the platform. MDPI +1 MediaWise – @mediawise A media-literacy project run by the Poynter Institute, also flagged in that study as a TikTok-native verification account with a sizeable following. They often break down how to spot misinformation and manipulative content. MDPI These don’t give you a full news diet, but they’re excellent to keep in the mix so you can sanity-check big political claims that blow up on TikTok. 3. Individual explainers with a news / journalism angle These are creators who do politics/current-affairs explainers rather than representing a big newsroom. They still have a point of view, but they’re more journalism-adjacent than pure “hot take” accounts. Under The Desk News – @underthedesknews (V Spehar) V Spehar is widely known for short explainers about U.S. politics and major news events, delivered literally from under a desk. Coverage has described them as one of TikTok’s breakout “newscasters”, and they’ve been invited to White House briefings about the Inflation Reduction Act and voter turnout. Wikipedia There are plenty of others, but the key is to treat them as explainers/commentary and not as your only source of “what’s true”. 4. Accounts to treat as political activism rather than neutral news TikTok blurs boundaries between news, commentary and activism. Some accounts call themselves “news” but are really political campaigns or ideological projects. One prominent example on other platforms is “Libs of TikTok”. Research by groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies its creator as an anti-LGBTQ extremist who spreads disinformation and has been linked to harassment campaigns. Wikipedia +1 I wouldn’t tell you what to watch, but it’s important to recognise that these kinds of accounts are doing politics, not neutral reporting, even if they frame themselves as “just showing you the truth”. 5. How to judge “trustworthy” political news on TikTok yourself Because TikTok’s “For You” page is tuned for engagement, not accuracy, even good accounts will appear alongside conspiratorial or hyper-partisan content. A few practical checks: Is there a real newsroom or institution behind it? Look for verified accounts whose bios link back to a known outlet (AP, ProPublica, major newspapers or TV networks, IFCN-certified fact-checkers, universities, etc.). Reuters Institute +1 Do they show their work? Strong accounts reference sources (court docs, official stats, multiple outlets) and will pin follow-up videos or corrections when they get something wrong. Fact-checking projects like FactCheck.org and PolitiFact explicitly publish corrections and methodology for their work. FactCheck.org +2 PolitiFact +2 Do they separate news from opinion? Straight news should mostly be “here’s what happened, here’s the evidence”. Heavy use of loaded language (“traitor”, “groomer”, “communist”, “fascist”, etc.) is a clue you’re watching activism or opinion content, not neutral reporting. Can you cross-check elsewhere? For big political claims, see if they also appear on the outlet’s website or in multiple mainstream sources, and check a fact-checker if it sounds too wild. Fact-checking organisations have documented how social platforms, including TikTok, can be fertile ground for viral misinformation. FactCheck.org +1 Watch your own “mix” The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report notes that TikTok audiences often consume a blend of traditional news brands and individual creators; relying only on influencers tends to produce a more skewed picture of politics. Reuters Institute