Prior Period Adjustments - Statements of Operations (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended						6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 30, 2012	Sep. 23, 2012	Jun. 24, 2012	Mar. 25, 2012	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 24, 2012	Dec. 30, 2012	Dec. 25, 2011
Revenues	$ 485,363	$ 465,933	$ 575,818	$ 449,028	$ 489,802	$ 475,432	$ 951,296	$ 965,234	$ 1,990,080	$ 1,952,630
Production costs	192,396	196,267	223,434	200,944	202,578	202,707	388,662	405,285	829,663	808,456
Selling, general and administrative costs	217,928	224,201	234,929	216,227	220,236	229,124	442,131	449,360	900,516	885,446
Depreciation and amortization	21,608	21,800	21,237	22,485	22,920	30,116	43,408	53,036	96,758	94,224
Total operating costs	431,932	442,268	479,600	439,656	445,734	461,947	874,201	907,681	1,826,937	1,788,126
Pension settlement expense		0	47,657	0	0	0			47,657	0
Other expense		0	2,620	0	0	0			2,620	4,500
Impairment of assets		0	0	0	0	0			0	9,225
Pension withdrawal expense		0	0	0	0	0			0	4,228
Operating profit	53,431	23,665	45,941	9,372	44,068	13,485	77,095	57,553	112,866	146,551
Gain on sale of investment	0	0	164,630	0	37,797	17,848	0	55,645	220,275	71,171
Impairment of investments	0	0	0	600	0	4,900	0	4,900	5,500	0
(Loss)/income from joint ventures	(459)	(2,940)	927	1,027	1,079	(29)	(3,399)	1,050	3,004	28
Premium on debt redemption		0	0	0	0	0			0	46,381
Interest expense, net	14,646	14,074	16,402	15,497	15,464	15,452	28,720	30,916	62,815	85,243
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	38,326	6,651	195,096	(5,698)	67,480	10,952	44,976	78,432	267,830	86,126
Income tax expense	18,189	3,328	76,497	(2,396)	29,440	1,793	21,516	31,233	105,334	32,810
Income from continuing operations	20,137	3,323	118,599	(3,302)	38,040	9,159	23,460	47,199	162,496	53,316
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	0	0	59,789	6,026	(125,689)	33,391	0	(92,298)	(26,483)	(91,519)
Net income/(loss)	20,137	3,323	178,388	2,724	(87,649)	42,550	23,460	(45,099)	136,013	(38,203)
Net (income)/loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest	(6)	249	(267)	21	27	53	243	80	(166)	555
Net income/(loss) attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders	20,131	3,572	178,121	2,745	(87,622)	42,603	23,703	(45,019)	135,847	(37,648)
Income/(loss) from continuing operations	20,131	3,572	118,332	(3,281)	38,067	9,212	23,703	47,279	162,330	53,871
Basic (in shares)	148,797	148,710	148,461	148,254	148,005	147,867	148,754	147,936	148,147	147,190
Diluted (in shares)	156,511	155,270	154,685	148,254	149,799	151,468	156,101	150,669	152,693	152,007
Income/(loss) from continuing operations	$ 0.14	$ 0.02	$ 0.80	$ (0.02)	$ 0.26	$ 0.06	$ 0.16	$ 0.32	$ 1.10	$ 0.36
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.40	$ 0.04	$ (0.85)	$ 0.23	$ 0.00	$ (0.62)	$ (0.18)	$ (0.62)
Net income/(loss)	$ 0.14	$ 0.02	$ 1.20	$ 0.02	$ (0.59)	$ 0.29	$ 0.16	$ (0.30)	$ 0.92	$ (0.26)
Income/(loss) from continuing operations	$ 0.13	$ 0.02	$ 0.76	$ (0.02)	$ 0.25	$ 0.06	$ 0.15	$ 0.31	$ 1.06	$ 0.35
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.39	$ 0.04	$ (0.83)	$ 0.22	$ 0.00	$ (0.61)	$ (0.17)	$ (0.60)
Net income/(loss)–Diluted	$ 0.13	$ 0.02	$ 1.15	$ 0.02	$ (0.58)	$ 0.28	$ 0.15	$ (0.30)	$ 0.89	$ (0.25)
Restatement Adjustment [Member]
Revenues		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Production costs		(607)	(676)	(633)	(628)	(628)			(2,565)	(2,113)
Selling, general and administrative costs		(188)	(185)	(230)	(237)	(237)			(889)	(786)
Depreciation and amortization		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Total operating costs		(795)	(861)	(863)	(865)	(865)			(3,454)	(2,899)
Pension settlement expense		0	(1,072)	0	0	0			(1,072)	0
Other expense		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Impairment of assets		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Pension withdrawal expense		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Operating profit		795	1,933	863	865	865			4,526	2,899
Gain on sale of investment		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Impairment of investments		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
(Loss)/income from joint ventures		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Premium on debt redemption		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Interest expense, net		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Income from continuing operations before income taxes		795	1,933	863	865	865			4,526	2,899
Income tax expense		361	722	400	338	392			1,852	878
Income from continuing operations		434	1,211	463	527	473			2,674	2,021
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Net income/(loss)		434	1,211	463	527	473			2,674	2,021
Net (income)/loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest		0	0	0	0	0			0	0
Net income/(loss) attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders		434	1,211	463	527	473			2,674	2,021
Income/(loss) from continuing operations		434	1,211	463	527	473			2,674	2,021
Basic (in shares)		148,710	148,461	148,254	148,005	147,867			148,147	147,190
Diluted (in shares)		155,270	154,685	148,254	149,799	151,468			152,693	152,007
Income/(loss) from continuing operations		$ 0.00	$ 0.01	$ 0.00	$ 0.01	$ 0.00			$ 0.02	$ 0.01
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		$ 0.00	$ 0.00		$ 0.00	$ 0.00			$ 0.00	$ 0.00
Net income/(loss)		$ 0.00	$ 0.01	$ 0.00	$ 0.01	$ 0.00			$ 0.02	$ 0.01
Income/(loss) from continuing operations		$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00			$ 0.02	$ 0.01
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00			$ 0.00	$ 0.00
Net income/(loss)–Diluted		$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.00			$ 0.02	$ 0.01
Scenario, Previously Reported [Member]
Revenues		465,933	575,818	449,028	489,802	475,432			1,990,080	1,952,630
Production costs		196,874	224,110	201,577	203,206	203,335			832,228	810,569
Selling, general and administrative costs		224,389	235,114	216,457	220,473	229,361			901,405	886,232
Depreciation and amortization		21,800	21,237	22,485	22,920	30,116			96,758	94,224
Total operating costs		443,063	480,461	440,519	446,599	462,812			1,830,391	1,791,025
Pension settlement expense		0	48,729	0	0	0			48,729	0
Other expense		0	2,620	0	0	0			2,620	4,500
Impairment of assets		0	0	0	0	0			0	9,225
Pension withdrawal expense		0	0	0	0	0			0	4,228
Operating profit		22,870	44,008	8,509	43,203	12,620			108,340	143,652
Gain on sale of investment		0	164,630	0	37,797	17,848			220,275	71,171
Impairment of investments		0	0	600	0	4,900			5,500	0
(Loss)/income from joint ventures		(2,940)	927	1,027	1,079	(29)			3,004	28
Premium on debt redemption		0	0	0	0	0			0	46,381
Interest expense, net		14,074	16,402	15,497	15,464	15,452			62,815	85,243
Income from continuing operations before income taxes		5,856	193,163	(6,561)	66,615	10,087			263,304	83,227
Income tax expense		2,967	75,775	(2,796)	29,102	1,401			103,482	31,932
Income from continuing operations		2,889	117,388	(3,765)	37,513	8,686			159,822	51,295
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		0	59,789	6,026	(125,689)	33,391			(26,483)	(91,519)
Net income/(loss)		2,889	177,177	2,261	(88,176)	42,077			133,339	(40,224)
Net (income)/loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest		249	(267)	21	27	53			(166)	555
Net income/(loss) attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders		3,138	176,910	2,282	(88,149)	42,130			133,173	(39,669)
Income/(loss) from continuing operations		$ 3,138	$ 117,121	$ (3,744)	$ 37,540	$ 8,739			$ 159,656	$ 51,850
Basic (in shares)		148,710	148,461	148,254	148,005	147,867			148,147	147,190
Diluted (in shares)		155,270	154,685	148,254	149,799	151,468			152,693	152,007
Income/(loss) from continuing operations		$ 0.02	$ 0.79	$ (0.02)	$ 0.25	$ 0.06			$ 1.08	$ 0.35
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		$ 0.00	$ 0.40	$ 0.04	$ (0.85)	$ 0.22			$ (0.18)	$ (0.62)
Net income/(loss)		$ 0.02	$ 1.19	$ 0.02	$ (0.60)	$ 0.28			$ 0.90	$ (0.27)
Income/(loss) from continuing operations		$ 0.02	$ 0.76	$ (0.02)	$ 0.25	$ 0.06			$ 1.04	$ 0.34
(Loss)/income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		$ 0.00	$ 0.38	$ 0.04	$ (0.84)	$ 0.22			$ (0.17)	$ (0.60)
Net income/(loss)–Diluted		$ 0.02	$ 1.14	$ 0.02	$ (0.59)	$ 0.28			$ 0.87	$ (0.26)