Organization and Nature of Operations (Narrative) (Details)	Dec. 31, 2013 Category
Education [Member]
Product Information [Line Items]
Number of education business categories	3
Television Broadcasting [Member]
Product Information [Line Items]
Number of television broadcast stations owned	6
Number of major national networks each station is affiliated with	1

The number of major national networks each of the Company's stations are affiliated with, other than the Jacksonville, Florida station (WJXT).

No definition available.

Name:	ghc_NumberOfMajorNationalNetworksAffiliationWith
Namespace Prefix:	ghc_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant