Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2013 Common Class A	Apr. 30, 2013 Common Class B
Entity Registrant Name	MCCLATCHY CO
Entity Central Index Key	0001056087
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-29
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		61,344,574	24,800,962
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1