Earnings per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended				6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 30, 2018	Mar. 25, 2018	Dec. 24, 2017	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 25, 2018
Earnings Per Share Disclosure [Line Items]
Income (loss) attributable to Lee Enterprises, Incorporated	$ (2,678)	$ 10,361	$ 2,239	$ 35,003	$ 7,683	$ 37,242
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic [Abstract]
Weighted Average Common Shares	57,703,000		57,070,000		57,501,000	56,924,000
Less non-vested restricted Common Stock	(2,095,000)		(2,378,000)		(2,097,000)	(2,416,000)
Basic average common shares	55,608,000		54,692,000		55,404,000	54,508,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted [Abstract]
Weighted Average Number Diluted Shares Outstanding Adjustment	0		1,169,000		1,287,000	1,309,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	55,608,000		55,861,000		56,691,000	55,817,000
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ (0.05)		$ 0.04		$ 0.14	$ 0.68
Diluted	$ (0.05)		$ 0.04		$ 0.14	$ 0.67
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	6,000,000		6,500,900		6,000,000	6,706,603