

In terms of its physical size when it was still in print, the newspaper did adopt a compact, tabloid format. This could be the reason people think it’s an actual tabloid. Using that format is a great way to get many people to look down on your publication.
As Far as credibility goes, they are left center (so not as unbias as they could be) and they have been known to misreport things… but who hasn’t?
Media Bias Fact Check gives them a rating of “Medium Credibility” https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-independent/
That said, compared to News here in Canada; CTV, CBC, and Global all have a better rating than the Independent.
It’s something that used to be said on occasion and shock people and now it’s just expected. So… yeah, pretty much now.