David French in the NYTimes claims Steve Pinker is a "liberal"

 Because of course he does. The lazy, stupid media prefers to accept what Steven Pinker says instead of looking at what he does:

French:

For instance, when a Harvard scholar such as Steven Pinker speaks of “disempowering D.E.I.” as a necessary reform in American higher education, he’s not opposing diversity itself. Pinker is liberal, donates substantially to the Democratic Party and “loathes” Donald Trump. The objections he raises are shared by a substantial number of Americans across the political spectrum.

As usual the mainstream media white-washes Pinker's alliances which include:

• Razib Khan - racist
• Steve Sailer - racist
• Linda Gottfredson - racist
• E. O. Wilson - racist
• Richard Hanania - racist
• Claire Lehmann/Quillette - racists
• The International Society for Race Pseudoscience Intelligence Research - racists

 And many more. 

But right-wing pundits claiming to be "liberal" is standard now and an old Koch trick. 

And of course David French is a right-winger who has written for National Review.