Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, sino también escucha las noticias en vídeo. - My sister not only reads the truth in several newspapers, but also listens to the news in video.

❌ Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, pero también escucha las noticias en vídeo. (unnatural)
✅ Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, sino también escucha las noticias en vídeo.

The negative no before solo triggers sino later on.

Can I say sino que también instead of sino también? Is something missing?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, sino que también escucha las noticias en vídeo.

sino que + conjugated verb is very common and often considered more standard or more clearly structured in writing.

So here are the two options:

✅ … no solo lee …, sino también escucha …
✅ … no solo lee …, sino que también escucha …

Both are used in Spain.
If you are unsure, sino que también is always safe when the second part has a finite verb (like escucha).

Why is it en varios periódicos and not de varios periódicos?

The choice of preposition changes the nuance:

en varios periódicos = in various newspapers, focusing on where she reads the truth (the truth appears in them).
de varios periódicos would sound more like from various newspapers, with more emphasis on the source or origin.

In this sentence, the idea is that the truth is found in those newspapers, so en is the natural preposition:

✅ lee la verdad en varios periódicos

Using de here is not impossible, but it would be less idiomatic for this specific idea.

What exactly does la verdad mean here? Is it a general “truth” or the name of a newspaper?

Literally, la verdad means the truth (a general concept).

In lee la verdad en varios periódicos, the most direct interpretation is:

She reads the truth in various newspapers.

However:

In Spain there is actually a newspaper called La Verdad.
Context would decide whether it is being used as a concept (truth) or as a title (the newspaper La Verdad).

Without extra context, a Spanish speaker would usually understand it as the truth in general, not as the name of a specific newspaper.

Why do we say escucha las noticias en vídeo and not ve or mira las noticias en vídeo?

All of these are possible, but they focus on slightly different aspects:

escuchar las noticias en vídeo = to listen to the news in video form
- Emphasis on the audio: the spoken news.
ver las noticias en vídeo = to watch the news in video form
- Emphasis on the visual aspect: watching the screen.
mirar las noticias en vídeo = also to watch, very similar to ver, but slightly more active/intended looking.

Spanish speakers often choose:

ver las noticias or ver el telediario (to watch the news bulletin)
but escuchar las noticias is also natural, especially if someone is focusing on listening (e.g. not looking at the screen the whole time, or treating it more like audio).

So your original sentence is correct; you could also hear:

… sino también ve las noticias en vídeo.
… sino también mira las noticias en vídeo.

Why is there a definite article in las noticias and la verdad?

Spanish uses the definite article much more than English, especially with general concepts.

la verdad
- Literally: the truth
- Used for the general idea of truth.
- Spanish usually says la verdad where English often says truth with no article.
las noticias
- Literally: the news (items)
- Refers to news in general, what you see on TV or in media.
- Spanish almost always uses las noticias for the news as a program or set of news items.

So:

✅ la verdad (general concept)
✅ las noticias (the news, as a program or content)

Could I drop también and just say no solo … sino …?

Yes, grammatically you can say:

Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, sino escucha las noticias en vídeo.

This is understandable and some people do speak like that, but:

sino también is by far the most natural and emphatic version.
In writing, especially, no solo … sino también (or … sino que también) is preferred.

también reinforces the idea of addition and makes the pattern clearer:

not only X, but also Y
no solo X, sino también Y

Can I move solo somewhere else, like Mi hermana solo no lee…?

No, not if you want the meaning not only … but also.

no solo must stay together in that order to mean not only.
Mi hermana solo no lee… would sound like The only thing my sister does not do is read…, which is a different (and odd) meaning.

So, for not only … but also, keep:

Mi hermana no solo …, sino también …
or
Mi hermana no solo …, sino que también …

Why is vídeo written with an accent, and is that specific to Spain?

In Spain, the standard spelling is:

vídeo (with an accent).

In much of Latin America, the usual spelling is:

video (without an accent).

Both refer to the same thing: video (video format, video clip, etc.).
This sentence is framed as Spanish from Spain, so vídeo with an accent is the expected form.

Why is there a comma before sino también?

The comma separates the two coordinated parts of the sentence:

First part: Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos
Second part: sino también escucha las noticias en vídeo

In Spanish, when you use structures like:

no solo …, sino (que) …
no solamente …, sino (que) …

you normally put a comma before sino.
It marks the division between its two main clauses, similar to English:

My sister not only reads…, but also listens… (comma before but).

Could I replace las noticias with a pronoun in the second part to avoid repetition?

Yes. If the context is clear, you can use a direct object pronoun:

Original:

Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, sino también escucha las noticias en vídeo.

Avoiding repetition:

Mi hermana no solo lee la verdad en varios periódicos, sino que también las escucha en vídeo.

Here:

las = las noticias

This is very natural in Spanish once las noticias has been mentioned or is obvious from context.