Document and Entity Information Document (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Mar. 25, 2012
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	Lee Enterprises, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000058361
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	51,791,241
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float		$ 57,507,000