[WikiEN-l] 'funny cartoons' linked to in articles

[Sander Sepp]

Hello,

I normally only read this list, but now I'm posting because there is
something that has been bothering me.

The Template:"Illustrated Wikipedia" has been put on many articles. It
has the text: 'This article has been illustrated as part of
WikiProject WikiWorld.' and has a link to a cartoon. It is highly
inappropriate to put these templates on articles. 'Funny' cartoons are
inherently very unencyclopedic.

There has been a deletion discussion of this template which ended in
keep. The main argument of the keep-voters was that this series of
cartoons is an 'official project' because 'it uses the Wikipedia
Logo', and as such, it should have a link in an article just as there
may be a link to Wikiquote or the Commons. Is it an 'official
project'? Should we add it to
http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Our_projects ? I think not. To say
that this is an official project, on the same level as, say, Wikimedia
Commons, is ridiculous.

Another reason for keeping was: "What is the point of the cartoonist
creating the illustrations, if no one gets to see them?". If it seems
that there is no point in creating illustrations, the logical
conclusion should be to stop making them, not to put them on articles!
We are here to write an encyclopedia, not to please illustrators or
act as a gallery for their work.

A new cartoon is made every week so the list of articles with these
templates is growing. If the links to the cartoons were on talk pages
at least it would not harm the articles. The way  it is now is not
acceptable.

links to relevant pages:
list of articles that use the template:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:Illustrated_Wikipedia
deletion discussion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Templates_for_deletion/Log/2006_November_21#Template:Illustrated_Wikipedia

regards,
Sander Sepp
user:S_Sepp