Plugin does not work well in customized templates

I am displaying my posts in a customized template using the following code:

$query = new WP_Query(array('cat' => 252,'posts_per_page' => 3));

// The Loop
if ( $query->have_posts() ) {

while ( $query->have_posts() ) {
$query->the_post();

echo '<li>' . the_content() . '</li>';
}
wp_reset_postdata();
} else {
// no posts found
}

For some reason, the categories I excluded from displaying related articles still show the related articles on this template page. Is there a compatibility issue between the plugin and the WP_query function?

• This topic was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by mluce.
• This topic was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by mluce.