Prior Period Adjustments (Balance Sheets) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 29, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 30, 2012	Sep. 23, 2012	Jun. 24, 2012	Mar. 25, 2012	Dec. 25, 2011	Dec. 26, 2010
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 482,745	$ 308,014	$ 820,490	$ 334,374	$ 290,292	$ 206,468	$ 175,151	$ 369,668
Short-term marketable securities		366,805	134,820	279,740	279,858	224,878
Accounts receivable (net of allowances)	202,303	159,344	197,589	160,998	170,904	180,406
Inventories:
Newsprint and magazine paper		6,952	5,608	9,857	9,695	12,129
Other inventory		1,697	1,729	1,689	1,954	2,076
Total inventories		8,649	7,337	11,546	11,649	14,205
Deferred income taxes	65,859	58,214	58,214	73,055	73,055	73,055
Other current assets		49,824	42,068	45,491	42,886	59,404
Assets held for sale	0	127,529	137,050	356,030	361,358	550,836
Total current assets	1,172,267	1,078,379	1,397,568	1,261,234	1,230,002	1,309,252
Other assets
Long-term marketable securities	176,155	190,841	4,444	0	0	0
Investments in joint ventures	40,213	38,409	40,872	41,401	41,809	43,420
Property, plant and equipment (less accumulated depreciation and amortization)	713,356	757,507	773,469	789,147	804,189	819,586
Goodwill (less accumulated impairment losses)	125,871	120,275	122,691	121,251	118,825	123,061
Deferred income taxes	179,989	301,784	302,212	345,804	349,946	297,261
Miscellaneous assets	164,701	165,202	166,214	168,470	173,880	227,088
Total assets	2,572,552	2,652,397	2,807,470	2,727,307	2,718,651	2,819,668
Current liabilities
Accounts payable	90,982	80,687	88,990	86,104	80,754	83,192
Accrued payroll and other related liabilities	91,629	52,288	86,772	87,753	72,641	66,826
Unexpired subscriptions	58,007	59,549	57,336	57,050	55,725	57,870
Accrued expenses and other	107,755	112,316	118,753	197,934	198,719	198,809
Accrued income taxes		360	38,932	0	0	0
Liabilities held for sale	0	33,302	32,373	34,611	36,479	41,407
Total current liabilities	348,511	338,502	423,156	463,452	444,318	448,104
Other liabilities
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations	684,142	697,920	696,752	701,518	700,614	699,349
Pension benefits obligation	444,328	663,617	737,889	782,353	800,946	813,905
Postretirement benefits obligation	90,602	109,500	110,347	100,248	101,397	102,689
Other	158,435	166,434	173,690	175,949	176,305	171,944
Total other liabilities	1,377,507	1,637,471	1,718,678	1,760,068	1,779,262	1,787,887
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Additional paid-in capital	33,045	27,656	25,610	31,181	34,278	35,820
Retained earnings	1,283,518	1,234,023	1,230,450	1,052,327	1,049,580	1,137,203		6,000
Common stock held in treasury, at cost	(86,253)	(93,506)	(96,278)	(102,690)	(107,572)	(110,827)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustments-gain	12,674	9,858	11,327	10,418	8,286	12,382
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale security	0	(1,242)	(431)	732	2,102	4,109
Funded status of benefit plans	(415,285)	(518,554)	(523,462)	(506,334)	(509,763)	(513,193)
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes	(402,611)	(509,938)	(512,566)	(495,184)	(499,375)	(496,702)		14,500
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity	842,910	673,362	662,325	500,739	492,002	580,581
Noncontrolling interest	3,624	3,062	3,311	3,048	3,069	3,096
Total stockholders’ equity	846,534	676,424	665,636	503,787	495,071	583,677	536,827	684,509
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	2,572,552	2,652,397	2,807,470	2,727,307	2,718,651	2,819,668
As previously reported [Member]
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents		308,014	820,490	334,374	290,292	206,468
Short-term marketable securities		366,805	134,820	279,740	279,858	224,878
Accounts receivable (net of allowances)		159,344	197,589	160,998	170,904	180,406
Inventories:
Newsprint and magazine paper		6,952	5,608	9,857	9,695	12,129
Other inventory		1,697	1,729	1,689	1,954	2,076
Total inventories		8,649	7,337	11,546	11,649	14,205
Deferred income taxes		58,214	58,214	73,055	73,055	73,055
Other current assets		49,824	42,068	45,491	42,886	59,404
Assets held for sale		127,529	137,050	356,030	361,358	550,836
Total current assets		1,078,379	1,397,568	1,261,234	1,230,002	1,309,252
Other assets
Long-term marketable securities		190,841	4,444	0	0	0
Investments in joint ventures		38,409	40,872	41,401	41,809	43,420
Property, plant and equipment (less accumulated depreciation and amortization)		757,507	773,469	789,147	804,189	819,586
Goodwill (less accumulated impairment losses)		120,275	122,691	121,251	118,825	123,061
Deferred income taxes		322,222	322,767	365,666	369,439	316,446
Miscellaneous assets		165,202	166,214	168,470	173,880	227,088
Total assets		2,672,835	2,828,025	2,747,169	2,738,144	2,838,853
Current liabilities
Accounts payable		80,687	88,990	86,104	80,754	83,192
Accrued payroll and other related liabilities		52,288	86,772	87,753	72,641	66,826
Unexpired subscriptions		59,549	57,336	57,050	55,725	57,870
Accrued expenses and other		112,316	118,753	197,934	198,719	198,809
Accrued income taxes		0	38,932	0	0	0
Liabilities held for sale		33,302	32,373	34,611	36,479	41,407
Total current liabilities		338,142	423,156	463,452	444,318	448,104
Other liabilities
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations		697,920	696,752	701,518	700,614	699,349
Pension benefits obligation		714,505	788,268	830,868	848,669	860,836
Postretirement benefits obligation		109,500	110,347	100,248	101,397	102,689
Other		166,434	173,690	175,949	176,305	171,944
Total other liabilities		1,688,359	1,769,057	1,808,583	1,826,985	1,834,818
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Additional paid-in capital		27,656	25,610	31,181	34,278	35,820
Retained earnings		1,222,936	1,219,798	1,042,888	1,040,606	1,128,755
Common stock held in treasury, at cost		(93,506)	(96,278)	(102,690)	(107,572)	(110,827)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustments-gain		9,858	11,327	10,418	8,286	12,382
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale security		(1,242)	(431)	732	2,102	4,109
Funded status of benefit plans		(537,557)	(542,634)	(525,548)	(529,019)	(532,491)
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes		(528,941)	(531,738)	(514,398)	(518,631)	(516,000)
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity		643,272	632,501	472,086	463,772	552,835
Noncontrolling interest		3,062	3,311	3,048	3,069	3,096
Total stockholders’ equity		646,334	635,812	475,134	466,841	555,931		664,076
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		2,672,835	2,828,025	2,747,169	2,738,144	2,838,853
Adjustments [Member]
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0	0	0
Short-term marketable securities		0	0	0	0	0
Accounts receivable (net of allowances)		0	0	0	0	0
Inventories:
Newsprint and magazine paper		0	0	0	0	0
Other inventory		0	0	0	0	0
Total inventories		0	0	0	0	0
Deferred income taxes		0	0	0	0	0
Other current assets		0	0	0	0	0
Assets held for sale		0	0	0	0	0
Total current assets		0	0	0	0	0
Other assets
Long-term marketable securities		0	0	0	0	0
Investments in joint ventures		0	0	0	0	0
Property, plant and equipment (less accumulated depreciation and amortization)		0	0	0	0	0
Goodwill (less accumulated impairment losses)		0	0	0	0	0
Deferred income taxes		(20,438)	(20,555)	(19,862)	(19,493)	(19,185)
Miscellaneous assets		0	0	0	0	0
Total assets		(20,438)	(20,555)	(19,862)	(19,493)	(19,185)
Current liabilities
Accounts payable		0	0	0	0	0
Accrued payroll and other related liabilities		0	0	0	0	0
Unexpired subscriptions		0	0	0	0	0
Accrued expenses and other		0	0	0	0	0
Accrued income taxes		360	0	0	0	0
Liabilities held for sale		0	0	0	0	0
Total current liabilities		360	0	0	0	0
Other liabilities
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations		0	0	0	0	0
Pension benefits obligation		(50,888)	(50,379)	(48,515)	(47,723)	(46,931)
Postretirement benefits obligation		0	0	0	0	0
Other		0	0	0	0	0
Total other liabilities		(50,888)	(50,379)	(48,515)	(47,723)	(46,931)
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Additional paid-in capital		0	0	0	0	0
Retained earnings		11,087	10,652	9,439	8,974	8,448
Common stock held in treasury, at cost		0	0	0	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustments-gain		0	0	0	0	0
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale security		0	0	0	0	0
Funded status of benefit plans		19,003	19,172	19,214	19,256	19,298
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes		19,003	19,172	19,214	19,256	19,298
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity		30,090	29,824	28,653	28,230	27,746
Noncontrolling interest		0	0	0	0	0
Total stockholders’ equity		30,090	29,824	28,653	28,230	27,746		20,433
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		(20,438)	(20,555)	(19,862)	(19,493)	(19,185)
Class A Common Stock
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Common stock value	15,129	15,045	15,027	15,023	15,009	15,005
Class A Common Stock | As previously reported [Member]
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Common stock value		15,045	15,027	15,023	15,009	15,005
Class A Common Stock | Adjustments [Member]
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Common stock value		0	0	0	0	0
Class B Common Stock
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Common stock value	82	82	82	82	82	82
Class B Common Stock | As previously reported [Member]
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Common stock value		82	82	82	82	82
Class B Common Stock | Adjustments [Member]
Common stock of $.10 par value:
Common stock value		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0