From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstage-manageˌstage-ˈmanage verb [transitive] ARRANGE A MEETING, EVENT ETCto organize a public event, such as a meeting, in a way that will give you the result that you want – often used to show disapproval The press conference was cleverly stage-managed.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
stage-manage• Most of the 'spontaneous demonstrations' supporting the President are stage-managed.• Paris must now stage-manage an intergovernmental conference leading to a new treaty.• The First Lady has been known to stage-manage press conferences.• Mixing with the bemused and baffled guests are actors who stage-manage the whole affair. 