Document and Entity Information Document	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) shares
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-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding | shares	57,722,693
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float | $	$ 190,485,000