NEW : The controversy is the second major crisis to hit the BBC in recent months . The BBC will pay Lord McAlpine £185,000 , or about $ 293,480 . The settlement `` reflects the gravity of the allegations ... wrongly made , '' the BBC says . In a statement released on Friday, it said that it had accepted his apology and would compensate him for any damages he may have suffered as a result of the claims.
NEW : The controversy is the second major crisis to hit the BBC in recent months . The BBC will pay Lord McAlpine £185,000 , or about $ 293,480 . The settlement `` reflects the gravity of the allegations ... wrongly made , '' the BBC says . The case stemmed from a BBC `` Newsnight '' program on child abuse allegations .