Print journalism Following his graduation from
Fordham University, starting out as a
copy boy. During the 1970s and 1980s, he covered a wide range of beats including crime, labor, and city government. In 1983, he was awarded the Meyer Berger Award for Distinguished Reporting from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, sharing the honor with
The New York Times columnist
Anna Quindlen. The following year, he received a Revson Fellowship for the Future of the City of New York, allowing him to spend a year at
Columbia University studying urban affairs. LaRosa remained at the
Daily News until 1991.
Broadcast journalism In 1992, La Rosa joined
CBS News as a producer for
48 Hours, where he specialized in long-form investigative storytelling. He was a producer for the 2002 documentary
9/11, which captured the experiences of New York City firefighters during the September 11 attacks. The program earned him multiple honors, including
Peabody Award,
Christopher Award, and an Edward R. Murrow Award. He was nominated for
Emmy Awards multiple times and has won four of them over his career. He also has received three
Gracie Awards from the
Alliance for Women in Media. In 2018, he won a
New York Press Club Award in the Special Event category for
A Nation Divided, a report featuring middle school students from immigrant families reflecting on the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.
Writing La Rosa is the author of several true-crime books, often based on cases he covered for television. His works include
Tacoma Confidential: A True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief’s Secret Life (2006),
Nightmare in Napa (2007),
Death of a Dream (2008, with
Erin Moriarty), His memoir,
Leaving Story Avenue: My Journey from the Projects to the Front Page (2012). == Personal life ==