Earnings per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 27, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income (loss) attributable to Lee Enterprises, Incorporated	$ 11,237	$ 9,753
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic [Abstract]
Weighted Average Common Shares	54,856,000	53,913,000
Less non-vested restricted Common Stock	(1,716,000)	(1,442,000)
Basic average common shares	53,140,000	52,471,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted [Abstract]
Weighted Average Number Diluted Shares Outstanding Adjustment	718,000	1,483,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	53,858,000	53,954,000
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ 0.21	$ 0.19
Diluted	$ 0.21	$ 0.18
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	7,684,000	6,254,000