Earnings per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 27, 2016	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 27, 2016	Mar. 29, 2015
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income (loss) attributable to Lee Enterprises, Incorporated	$ 19,228	$ 1,800	$ 30,465	$ 11,553
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic [Abstract]
Weighted Average Common Shares	55,610,000	54,506,000	55,231,000	54,206,000
Less non-vested restricted Common Stock	(2,434,000)	(2,012,000)	(2,073,000)	(1,724,000)
Basic average common shares	53,176,000	52,494,000	53,158,000	52,482,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted [Abstract]
Weighted Average Number Diluted Shares Outstanding Adjustment	575,000	1,381,000	619,000	1,434,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	53,751,000	53,875,000	53,777,000	53,916,000
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ 0.36	$ 0.03	$ 0.57	$ 0.22
Diluted	$ 0.36	$ 0.03	$ 0.57	$ 0.21
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount		6,816,000	7,658,676	6,533,000