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Debt (Narrative) (Details)
12 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2012
USD ($)
Jan. 31, 2009
7.25% Unsecured Notes due February 1, 2019 [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
7.25% Unsecured Notes due February 1, 2019 [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
7.25% Unsecured Notes due February 1, 2019 [Member]
USD ($)
Jun. 17, 2011
Four-Year Revolving Credit Agreement Dated, June 17, 2011 [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
USD $450 million portion of Revolver [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
USD $450 million portion of Revolver [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 20, 2012
USD $450 million portion of Revolver [Member]
USD ($)
Jun. 17, 2011
USD $450 million portion of Revolver [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
AUD $50 million portion of Revolver [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2013
AUD $50 million portion of Revolver [Member]
USD ($)
Sep. 07, 2011
AUD $50 million portion of Revolver [Member]
AUD
Jun. 17, 2011
AUD $50 million portion of Revolver [Member]
AUD
Sep. 07, 2011
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Other Indebtedness [Member]
Dec. 31, 2013
Other Indebtedness [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                                    
Borrowings outstanding               $ 0us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourHundredFiftyMillionUSDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
$ 0us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourHundredFiftyMillionUSDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
$ 240,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourHundredFiftyMillionUSDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
  $ 40,927,000us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FiftyMillionAustralianDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
$ 44,625,000us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FiftyMillionAustralianDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
50,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCredit
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FiftyMillionAustralianDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
       
Interest rate of debt instrument       7.25%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
7.25%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
7.25%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
      1.5107%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourHundredFiftyMillionUSDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
               
Minimum interest rate                                 0.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentageRateRangeMinimum
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_OtherIndebtednessMember
0.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentageRateRangeMinimum
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_OtherIndebtednessMember
Maximum interest rate                                 6.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentageRateRangeMaximum
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_OtherIndebtednessMember
6.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentageRateRangeMaximum
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_OtherIndebtednessMember
Debt Instrument, Maturity year, start                                 Jan. 01, 2015 Jan. 01, 2014
Debt Instrument, Maturity year, end                                 Dec. 31, 2017 Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument, Maturity date       Feb. 01, 2019                            
Face amount of debt issued       400,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
                           
Notes repurchase percentage of principal amount to be eligible for redemption       101.00%ghc_NotesRepurchasePercentageOfPrincipalAmountToBeEligibleForRedemption
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
                           
Average borrowings outstanding 450,900,000ghc_AverageOutstandingDebtAmount 471,400,000ghc_AverageOutstandingDebtAmount                                
Weighted average interest rate of borrowings 7.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateDuringPeriod 6.70%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateDuringPeriod                                
Net interest expense incurred 34,500,000us-gaap_InterestExpenseDebt 33,800,000us-gaap_InterestExpenseDebt 32,600,000us-gaap_InterestExpenseDebt                              
Fair value of debt instrument         450,300,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFairValue
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
475,200,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFairValue
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
                       
Current borrowing capacity                     450,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityCurrentBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourHundredFiftyMillionUSDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
      50,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityCurrentBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FiftyMillionAustralianDollarPortionOfRevolverMember
     
Maximum borrowing capacity             700,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourYearRevolvingCreditAgreementDatedJuneSeventeenthTwoThousandElevenMember
                     
Minimum fee percentage for line of credit facility             0.08%ghc_LineOfCreditFacilityCommitmentFeeMinimumPercentage
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourYearRevolvingCreditAgreementDatedJuneSeventeenthTwoThousandElevenMember
                     
Maximum fee percentage for line of credit facility             0.20%ghc_LineOfCreditFacilityCommitmentFeeMaximumPercentage
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourYearRevolvingCreditAgreementDatedJuneSeventeenthTwoThousandElevenMember
                     
Line of credit facility, Expiration date             Jun. 17, 2015                      
Line of credit facility minimum requirement of shareholder's equity             1,500,000,000ghc_LineOfCreditFacilityMinimumRequirementOfShareholdersEquity
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_FourYearRevolvingCreditAgreementDatedJuneSeventeenthTwoThousandElevenMember
                     
Carrying value of debt instrument 398,308,000us-gaap_UnsecuredDebt 397,893,000us-gaap_UnsecuredDebt     398,300,000us-gaap_UnsecuredDebt
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
397,900,000us-gaap_UnsecuredDebt
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= ghc_SevenPointTwoFivePercentUnsecuredNotesDueFebruaryOneTwoThousandAndNineteenMember
                       
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate Terms             Any borrowings are made on an unsecured basis and bear interest at (a) for U.S. dollar borrowings, at the Company’s option, either (i) a fluctuating interest rate equal to the highest of JPMorgan’s prime rate, 0.50 percent above the Federal funds rate or the one-month eurodollar rate plus 1%, or (ii) the eurodollar rate for the applicable interest period; or (b) for Australian dollar borrowings, the bank bill rate, in each case plus an applicable margin that depends on the Company’s long-term debt ratings.                      
Types Of Interest Rate Derivatives Used                               interest rate swap    
Notional Amount of Cash Flow Hedge Instruments                               $ 50,000,000invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_InterestRateSwapMember
   
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Fixed Interest, Percentage Rate                               4.5275%us-gaap_LongTermDebtPercentageBearingFixedInterestRate
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_InterestRateSwapMember