Hi Andy,
The password isn't a single point of failure in the sense that Jarry and Ed both had the password and either of them might have become available to publish hours or days later, but I felt the Signpost was already late, we had enough material to publish, and waiting another week would mean we would lose the work that had gone into the Traffic Report and we would need to reformat the Featured Content Report to add another week's worth of material. This is the first time I have felt confident enough to make a decision to publish in Ed's absence with Tony's agreement, so this is the first time I have needed the password.
Tony and I now have the password. I hope that future publications are normal even if Ed is absent.
Thanks for your interest in the Signpost. Do you have any other questions?
Pete, thanks for your comments. It is good to feel that the Signpost's all-volunteer staff is appreciated.
Pine